The Ministry of Defense does not know what has happened to the military equipment in Afghanistan that Norwegian taxpayers have financed.
The newspaper Aftenposten writes that Norwegian authorities have spent NOK 600 million on supporting, training, and equipping Afghan security forces.
When Afghan security forces fled or surrendered during the Taliban’s offensive earlier in August, large quantities of weapons, vehicles, aircraft, and other equipment were left to the Islamists.
Almost all of this equipment was financed by the taxpayers in the NATO countries. According to the Ministry of Defense, Norway has spent around NOK 15 million on buying military equipment for Afghan security forces. The Minister of Defense states that this relates mainly to communication equipment.
“Confusing situation”
“The equipment has mainly been procured for the establishment and improvement of facilities. Communications equipment strengthened the security forces’ ability for secure communication during operations,” Minister of Defense Frank Bakke-Jensen (H) wrote to Aftenposten.
He further stated that it is impossible to assess whether the Taliban has gained access to the said equipment due to “the confusing situation.”
Norway has spent a total of at least NOK 23.8 billion on military and civilian efforts in Afghanistan. Ten Norwegian soldiers have lost their lives in the country.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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